Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Midsomer Murders, Series 19 Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Meet the New Sergeant (and the New Pet!)

Reviewed by Michael Reuben June 23, 2017

DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) gets a new sergeant in Series 19 of Midsomer Murders, his third sidekick since the Brighton native took over as the show's top cop in its fourteenth season. When DS Charlie Nelson (Gwilym Lee) departs Midsomer for advanced training and undercover work, he is replaced by the skeptical DS Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix), a Londoner whose face is often a study in wonderment as he encounters Midsomer County's unique combination of rustic charm and homicidal mania. As luck would have it, Hendrix is no stranger to Midsomer's current medical examiner, Dr. Kam Karimore (Manjinder Virk), who doesn't seem all too pleased when her former police cohort appears in the corridors of Causton CID. The reasons for Dr. Kam's discomfort are gradually explained as Series 19 progresses.

Series 19 sees an even more significant cast change with the sudden demise of Barnaby's beloved terrier, Sykes, who has consistently been the show's most popular character. Barnaby and wife Sarah (Fiona Dolman) are coping with their bereavement, when chance sends a new pet their way in the form of a terrier named Paddy, who has been rendered homeless by events in one of Barnaby's cases. Paddy is quickly revealed to be a worthy successor, endearing himself to toddler Betty Barnaby and routinely causing mischief in the Detective Chief Inspector's otherwise well-ordered household.

An old friend returns in the series' third episode, "Last Man Out", when Barnaby and his new sergeant are called to a crime scene, only to discover that the person who reported the crime was Ben Jones (Jason Hughes), who was Barnaby's original sergeant when he was first posted to Midsomer. The reunion is complicated by the fact that Jones is working undercover, which requires the former colleagues to pretend they don't know each other. The pregnant atmosphere has DS Nelson questioning his new boss's handling of the case, but eventually the three cops forge a working partnership.

Midsomer's nineteenth series consists of six 90-minute episodes, but Acorn Media has made the curious choice not to include all of them in its latest Blu-ray release, which is billed as "Part 1". The two-disc set contains four episodes, which raises the question of whether "Part 2" will have more than just a single disc with the additional two. I complimented Acorn for including all six episodes of Series 18 in a single three-disc set, but apparently that was an aberration, and the studio intends to continue releasing Midsomer piecemeal. (I despair of having the early series restored and remastered for Blu-ray.)

The unofficial fan site for Midsomer Murders provides detailed episode summaries—too detailed for anyone wishing to avoid spoilers—but it also offers brief capsule descriptions, which I have reproduced below, with some alterations and additions:

The Village That Rose from the Dead (disc 1) December 18, 2016

The ghost village of Little Auburn has been abandoned since the war but is now being reopened, with various factions competing over the future use of the land. When a young man is found murdered during the grand reopening—squashed by an ancient tank left over from the war—DCI Barnaby and DS Winter must unravel a sinister web of lies from both past and present in order to catch the killer.

Crime and Punishment (disc 1) January 4, 2017

The Bleakridge Watch patrols the streets of their remote village, exposing anyone who steps outside the law. When one of their members dies—a butcher found murdered and stashed in his own meat locker—DCI Barnaby and DS Winter uncover just how far some people will go for power.

Last Man Out (disc 2) January 11, 2017

Tensions run high in Lower Pampling as a new type of cricket from Australia threatens a century of tradition. When a star cricketer dies during a tournament, DCI Barnaby and DS Winter's investigation draws them into a dangerous game with a surprise visitor from Barnaby's past: DI Ben Jones, who is working undercover on an investigation that he cannot disclose, even to his old boss Barnaby. When Jones ends up taking the place of the deceased star player, he puts his life at risk, as players continue to die.

Red in Tooth and Claw (disc 2) January 18, 2017

The annual Belville Small Pet Show is disrupted by the discovery of dead body covered in live rabbits. When Barnaby and Winter investigate, they discover a competition for "best in show" in which the participants are bitter rivals. At the local hotel, which caters to pets, a mysterious stranger checks in, and both he and the wife of the hotel's owner are secretive and mysterious. And what of the proprietors of the local pet supply store, whose alibis don't line up? The animals are much better behaved than the people in this village filled with subterfuge.

Midsomer Murders, Series 19 Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Midsomer Murders continues to be shot (beautifully) on the Arri Alexa. The first three episodes in this set were photographed by series regular James Moss. Thereafter, Andrew Johnson, a newcomer to the show but an experienced cinematographer on other British series, had the challenge of lighting the massive animal cast of "Red in Tooth and Claw". Acorn Media has split the four episodes evenly between two 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-rays, and their presentation of Midsomer Murders continues to set the gold standard for quality with a series whose picturesque locations and meticulous country decor deserve the very best. Detail and sharpness are consistently excellent, colors range from delicate to fully saturated, blacks are solidly rendered, and there is no hint of aliasing or artifacts to interfere with the viewer's enjoyment. Acorn has mastered the episodes at varying bitrates consistent with recent Blu-ray sets, with averages ranging from 24 Mbps to just under 26 Mbps and a capable encode throughout.

Midsomer Murders, Series 19 Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Series 19, Part 1, earns a place in Midsomer Murders' Blu-ray history by being the first set to arrive with a 5.1 soundtrack, which has been encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA. Despite the change in surround format, however, the sound design of Midsomer remains consistent with the stereo tracks that accompanied previous Blu-ray sets. Dialogue is still the focus, and it continues to be firmly anchored to the center, albeit rendered here with a small but distinct enhancement in clarity and localization by the discrete multi-channel format. The dynamic range rises to the occasional event requiring deep bass extension (the lethal army tank in episode 1 is a good example), and sound effects are more accurately placed across the front soundstage. Midsomer's sound designers haven't indulged themselves in any noticeable rear channel effects; perhaps they're saving that for the future. Jim Parker's spooky theme has become comfortingly familiar to Midsomer fans, and it sounds just as good in 5.1 as it did in 2.0.

Midsomer Murders, Series 19 Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The extras feature Neil Dudgeon, who's an entertaining interviewee, and Nick Hendrix, who notes that he grew up in country villages like those of Midsomer, where murder was a far less frequent occurrence. Several guest stars also participate, including Jason Hughes, who discusses his return to the series after several years' absence.

• Behind the Scenes: The Village that Rose from the Dead (disc 1) (1080p; 1.78:1; 8:46).



• Behind the Scenes: Crime and Punishment (disc 1) (1080p; 1.78:1; 9:13).



• Paddy the Dog (disc 1) (1080p; 1.78:1; 2:42): Much of this extra duplicates interview footage from the first "Behind the Scenes".



• Behind the Scenes: Last Man Out (disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:33).



• Behind the Scenes: Red in Tooth and Claw (disc 2) (1080p; 1.78:1; 1:47).



• Introductory Trailers: At startup, disc 1 plays trailers for Acorn TV, The Level and Agatha Raisin.

Midsomer Murders, Series 19 Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans of Midsomer Murders know what to expect from the show, and Series 19 meets those expectations, with the added novelty of two new cast members, one human and one canine. Acorn Media's Blu-ray presentation remains consistently excellent, and the only reason the set has been scored a notch lower than the last season is the studio's odd decision to omit the final two episodes of Series 19, presumably saving those for a later Blu-ray set. (They're already available for streaming on Netflix.) Otherwise, highly recommended.